‘Manohar kahaniyan’: IAF Chief AP Singh mocks Pakistan’s claims of downing Indian jets during Op Sindoor

NEW DELHI: Indian Air Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh on Friday dismissed Pakistan’s claims of shooting down Indian fighter jets during Operation Sindoor, calling them “Manohar Kahaniyan” (fanciful stories).

Singh said there was no evidence to support Pakistan’s claims, while India had shared images of damage caused to Pakistani targets. He added that such claims were made only to save face and mislead their public.

Addressing the press conference on the 93rd Air Force Day celebrations in the national capital, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh said, “…If they think they shot down 15 of my jets, let them think about it. I hope they’re convinced about it, and they will cater for 15 less aircraft in my inventory when they come to fight again. So why should I talk about it? Even today, I won’t say anything about what happened, how much damage was done, how it happened, because let them find out…”

“Have you seen a single picture where something fell on any of our airbases, something hit us, a hangar was destroyed, or anything like that? We showed so many pictures of their places. However, they couldn’t show us even a single picture. So their narrative is ‘Manohar Kahaniyan’. Let them be happy, after all, they also have to show something to their audience to save their reputation. That doesn’t matter to me,” Singh said.

Pakistan has repeatedly made claims that it shot down several Indian fighter jets following India’s launch of Operation Sindoor, which was carried out in response to the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22 that killed 26 tourists.

The IAF Chief also stated that the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) is expected to have its first flight around 2028 and be inducted into the Air Force by 2035, adding that this timeline is achievable.

“…As I understand, it is going to fly in this decade, in the 2028, somewhere that is the first flight planned and by 2035, it is supposed to be inducted and operationalised in the Indian Air Force as of now… So I personally feel this timeline can be achieved, or maybe even better, if people really want to do it. It’s possible. And as far as technology is concerned now, AMCA technology is fairly clear in our mind as to what we want and what is required and where it is available and how it is available,” Singh said.

He said all options, including the Su-57 and Rafale, will be considered through a strict induction process, with preference given to aircraft that meet India’s requirements and offer technology transfer and manufacturing freedom.

Singh also said Rafale is one of the key options for new fighter jets, as it was found to be the best-suited aircraft during the earlier Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) contract.

“As far as SU-57 is concerned, I just want to say that we have to weigh all the options, and we in the defence ministry and in the Indian Air Force have a very set process of induction of any weapon system, and that process will be followed. So what comes will depend on what meets the requirement and what is best for us,” he said.

“These are one of the options like Su-57 he talked about, you talked about Rafale. So this is one of the options that is available with us because we had already done our own homework in terms of the earlier MMRCA contract, in that we have found Rafale to be the best aircraft suited for us amongst those candidates. Any aircraft of that class is what is required immediately. Now, whether it is Rafale or something else, it really doesn’t matter, but yes, Rafale is easy to absorb. So whichever design house is ready to come up with the proposal to make in India, to give us technology, give us more freedom, I think that design house should be chosen,” Singh said.

While on reports of terrorist groups setting up headquarters deep inside Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the IAF chief said India can accurately target and destroy such hideouts if intelligence is available.

“Obviously, it was expected… So, we are also getting such news that their hideouts are changing and now they will probably build smaller structures instead of big structures. But if intelligence is available, then we now have the capability to go deep inside any of their hideouts with absolutely accurate targeting. We can destroy them and their hideouts. So, our options have not changed. Our options will remain the same in this matter,” Singh said. (ANI)